Twice baked potatoes

Serves 6-8
4 potatoes
Stick of butter
½ c. bacon ( I used turkey bacon)
½ c. sour cream
½ c. shredded cheddar cheese
green onion
¼ lawrys seaoning salt
pepper to taste

1 Wash potatoes. Prick with a fork; bake at 350 for 45- 1 hour
2 Let potatoes cool, cut in half; carefully scoop out insides

3 In a bowl combine potato insides, butter (sliced into squares), bacon, sour cream, cheese, onion, salt and pepper.

4 Put mixture inside potato skins, top with cheese ; bake at 350 for 15- 20 mins.


Happy cooking,
Chaeli

Turkey & black bean enchiladas

*Hearty and satisfying, these slimmed-down enchiladas with whole- wheat tortillas have a moist and delicious filling you’ll love.
Serves 5-8 depending on how many each person eats

2 cans (15 oz) black beans, rinsed and drained, divided
1 lb. lean ground turkey
1 med green pepper, chopped
1 small onion, chopped
1 can enchilada sauce, divided
1 c. shredded Mexican cheese blend, divided
8 whole wheat tortillas – I think I ended up using a lot more

1 In a small bowl, mash 1 can of black beans; set aside. In a large nonstick skillet, cook the turkey, pepper, and onion; drain. Add the mashed beans and remaining can of beans, half of the enchilada sauce and ½ c. of cheese; heat through.



2 Place 2/3 c. of mixture down the center of each tortilla. Roll up and place in greased baking dish seam down. Pour remaining enchilada sauce over the top; sprinkle with remaining cheese. Bake uncovered at 425 for 15-20 mins or until heated through.
Happy cooking,
Chaeli

Meatless Monday: BBQ Tofu sandwich

If your first thought is ewww tofu, you’re not alone. It was mine as well. I wouldn’t be posting it though if it wasn’t worth a try. You may not love it but you will like it and if you are trying to eat less meat, it’s a great option.

Serves 4
¼ c. thinly sliced onion rings
Pkg. of extra firm or firm water packed tofu, drained
1/8 tsp. salt
1 tbsp. canola oil
½ c. bbq sauce
1 ½ c. coleslaw mix
2 tbsp. low fat mayo
2 tsp. red wine vinegar
¼ tsp. garlic powder
Freshly ground pepper to taste
4 hamburger buns
2 pickle sandwich slices
• I added some cheese

1 Place onion in a small bowl cover with cold water and set aside. Stand tofu on its long narrow side. Cut length wise into 4 rectangular slices and pat dry. Sprinkle with salt

2 Heat oil in a large skillet. Add the tofu slabs. Cook until browned on both sides (about 4 mins per side). Add bbq sauce and carefully turn the tofu to coat. Cover and cook 3 mins.

3Combine coleslaw, mayo, vinegar, garlic powder and pepper in a medium bowl. Drain onion.
4 Assemble sandwiches, place 1/3 c. coleslaw mix on each bun and top with a tofu slab, a pickle and a few onion slices. Spread any remaining bbq sauce on top bun.
Happy cooking,
Chaeli

Steak sandwiches with lemon mayonnaise

--If you like lemon, you will love this!--
(feeds 2-4 people, depending on size of sandwiches)

INGREDIENTS:
1 - baguette or bread of your choice; we used focaccia bread
1lb - steak; I suppose top sirloin would be best but really you can use whatever you want so long as it can but cut into strips to fit on the bread
2 tbsp - soy sauce
2 tbsp - olive oil
1 tbsp - lemon zest; I also added juice from a whole lemon
1 tsp - lemon pepper seasoning
*for the dressing:
1/4 cup - mayonnaise
1/2 tsp - lemon pepper seasoning
1 tsp - lemon zest; I even squeezed in juice from half a lemon
1 1/2 cups - shredded lettuce

STEP 1:
combine soy sauce, olive oil, lemon pepper seasoning, lemon zest and juice. Brush on to steak and allow a few minutes to soak in. (You can add the marinade to a zip lock bag and allow the steak to marinate for a few hours or overnight, I've made it both ways and it tastes great either way!)


STEP 2:
Grill your steak to your liking. Remove from heat and let the meat rest for about 5-10 minutes before slicing into strips

STEP 3:
In a bowl combine mayonnaise, lemon pepper seasoning, lemon zest and juice and mix well.


STEP 4:
Build your sandwich! I lightly toasted our bread but that is completley optional. Start by spreading about 1tbsp onto bottom slice of bread, then add some lettuce and your steak!





ENJOY!
:) Courtney

Sun-dried tomato chicken roll-ups

All the filling ingredients complement each other to five these roll-ups a really great burst of flavor. I wasn’t about to fork up 4.99 for a jar of sun dried tomatoes so I just cooked up some on the vine tomatoes with Italian seasoning, a little garlic powder and evoo and I did not miss the sun dried ones it tastes great!
Serves 4
4 boneless skinless chicken breasts, pounded out thin
1 egg lightly beaten
½ c. seasoned bread crumbs
¾ c. mozzarella cheese
½ c. oil packed sun dried tomatoes ( or go with my cheap method)
turkey bacon 1 slice per chicken
olive oil


1 Place egg and bread crumbs in separate shallow bowls. Dip chicken in egg, then coat with bread crumbs.
2 In the middle of the pounded out chicken place a line of mozzarella, tomatoes, and 1 strip of bacon. Roll up from short side. Secure with toothpicks ( Don’t forget to take them out before eating!)

3 Place on greased baking sheet; drizzle roll-ups with evoo. Bake at 400 for 20-25 mins.

Happy cooking,
Chaeli

Pink Lemonade

Today I have some friends and their kiddos coming over for a swim playdate, so I made this quick drink for us to sip on while the kids swim :)

Serves 4
1 c. sugar
1 c. water
1/2 c. watermelon, pureed, strained to get seeds out
1 c. fresh lemon juice
Ice
5 c. cold water

1 In a small sauce pan over low heat combine 1 c. water with sugar until sugar dissolves (about 2-3 mins)

2 Mix sugar water, lemon juice, water melon juice, and 5 c. cold water in pitcher

3 top with ice

Happy cooking,
Chaeli

Mexican stuffed shells

My husband and I both love Mexican food- the hotter the better. But this one is safe for children ;) It’s mild, delicious, inexpensive and quick!

Serves 8
24 un cooked jumbo pasta shells
1 lb. ground beef
2 cups of salsa ( I use pace picante mild)
1 can (8 oz.) tomato sauce
1 c. frozen corn
½ c. canned black beans, rinsed and drained ( I used the whole can)
1 c. shredded Mexican cheese
Toppings: Sour cream
Salsa
Sliced or chopped olives
Green onions

1 Cook pasta shells according to package directions; drain & let cool.
2 In a large skillet cook beef until no longer pink; drain. Stir in salsa, tomato sauce, corn and beans. Spoon into pasta shells.

3 Place in baking dish ( I needed 2). Sprinkle with cheese. Cover and bake at 350 for 20-30 mins or until heated through. Top with sour cream, salsa, olives and onions.
Happy cooking,
Chaeli